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As soon as he got an update, he’d make the next move in their investigation and shift one step closer to bringing down the vampires.
Olcan, the pack leader, would want to see progress from each pack member. After all, they were each doing something to make amends for the earlier fuck-up when the vampires stole the Blood Opal.
Kodiak’s stomach clenched as he pulled on a pair of jeans. It wasn’t just the vampires and Tamaska’s safety that worried at him, it was the safety of them all.
Dire consequences were the way of the pack. Arcane, perhaps, but that was Olcan, clinging to old ways.
If his friends didn’t find information about the vampires and the gem, they would be cast out of the pack.
He could survive. He was a lone wolf, one who could blend in and belong or live alone. But the others thrived in the pack.
The heaviness of that burden lay on him, pressing down. For many shifters to lose their pack was tantamount to a slow death. And some—especially Channing, who was young—needed that support.
Kodiak pulled a dark T-shirt over his head, letting it hang loose over the jeans while he grabbed a plaid shirt from the neat pile of clothing. The pile was always there for moments like this. He found a pair of sneakers in the right size and pulled them on.
These draconian ways were one reason he wanted to take up the mantel of alpha. It was time to bring in newer ways, to change things. Something Olcan couldn’t abide.
The air shifted and he knew he wasn’t alone anymore.
Moving quietly, he opened the door of the changing room.
Olcan stood there. He locked gazes with Kodiak and strode over, glowering, as he put his hand on the frame to prevent Kodiak from leaving.
“Nice that you could grace us with your presence.” Olcan raised an eyebrow.
Kodiak swallowed hard, suppressing curse words.
“You smell a bit morehumantoday.” Olcan breathed in deeply, deliberately.
He stood his ground and chose his words carefully. This wasn’t the time to take up his leader’s taunt. “I’ve been out getting information.”
“You’ve been with the human I told you to forget.”
Now he raised his brow, keeping his voice quiet and easy. “Aren’t we’re meant to protect others from vampires?”
“Not at the expense of the pack’s safety.” Olcan stepped forward, facing off against Kodiak.
Kodiak broadened his stance and looked the alpha square in the eyes. “I fought off a vampire that attacked her, if you must know.”
“Where?” Olcan maintained his cold exterior.
“In the scrub.”
The older man’s expression darkened. “Close to the clubhouse. You should’ve come straight here and told me.”
“You might be alpha, but I’m nobody’s lapdog. And,” Kodiak said, voice still mild, “I wasn’t about to lead any vampire watching here. I’ve been trained better than that.”
“I want to believe you, but this woman’s got your head fucked up. You’re forgetting the pack.”
“I’m not,” Kodiak said, ignoring his wolf side that lurked in the background as if wanting to attack Olcan for the insult. “I’m doing everything for the pack.”
“Like fuck you are. You’ll face consequences for this. I’ve called a pack meeting tonight.”
“Do as you see fit.” Kodiak kept his face blank, body loose, even as something dark moved through him.
The wisdom in Olcan’s expression could only be a warning of bad things to come. And he sensed his desires to be the new alpha. Did he want to kick Kodiak out? What better excuse than losing the opal and being with a human.
“The vampires are a problem, Olcan. Worse than what we thought. They’ve been quiet for a long time, and I believe it’s over the opal.”
